Foreign Body Aspiration

Excerpt

Foreign body aspiration remains a significant cause of death in children for anatomic as well as developmental reasons. Choking is typically defined as an aerodigestive foreign body causing varying amounts of obstruction to the airway. The obstruction can lead to difficulties with ventilation and oxygenation thus resulting in significant morbidity or mortality. Items that are most commonly implicated in children include food, coins, toys, and balloons. The main cause of death has been attributed to hypoxic-ischemic brain injury and less commonly, pulmonary hemorrhage.